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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25666474">Sharp edges</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumblossomed/pseuds/plumblossomed'>plumblossomed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zutara Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Light Angst, POV Outsider, eventual mailee, former maiko, this is not the maiko youre looking for</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:54:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25666474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumblossomed/pseuds/plumblossomed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mai notices.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zutara Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1848772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>127</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sharp edges</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>ok hi i love sasusaku fics told from an outsider pov, there are a few really good ones from karin’s perspective so i was like ok sorry mai i will do this LOL (if you’re unfamiliar, karin had feelings for sasuke but he didn’t return them and he married and had a baby with sakura) this is not at all supposed to be The Other Woman type of thing, there’s no cheating, it’s really observations and another way to look at zutara yup!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Mai stood by Zuko because she knew he was a good man. She knew he cared about her. Her childhood crush on him wasn’t misplaced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she first sensed the distance growing between them, she chalked it up to Fire Lord duties demanding all of his time. But despite his good intentions and traits, he was not in love with her the way he was in love with someone else.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She first </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>noticed when he was running around the palace like a komodo chicken with its head cut off while preparing for visitors. Not just any visitors — his old friends from across the nations used the one year anniversary of his coronation as an excuse to get together. She had sensed his loneliness in the way he constantly gazed at the sky, lost in his own thoughts, in the way he sent off pages and pages of letters. But she assumed he yearned for friendship and not romance. She was only one person, she could only give him so much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The palace was ablaze with activity in the days before the highly anticipated celebration. “Aren’t you excited?” he asked her, looking like a kid on the morning of his birthday. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His face drooped when he realized, no, of course she wasn’t. They weren’t really her friends, they weren’t here to see her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She verbalized her feelings anyway, “Why would I be?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh! I forgot to tell you that Ty Lee is coming too. And my sister got cleared by her doctors to join us for a while. That’s something, right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed. He was trying. He always tried his best and that was one of the things that was so endearing about him. “Should be an interesting mix,” she remarked. She excused herself to go lay down and left him to finish hanging the flags of the other nations in the hallway. Even with all his servants doing their best, no one could work fast enough to keep up with his boundless energy. He really was excited, wasn’t he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she rounded the corner to her room, she could’ve sworn she noticed the way he seemed to hold onto the blue Water Tribe fabric just a bit longer. She shook her head. She must have been tired, imagining him run his thumb over the fabric before hanging it. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Gaang arrived noisily as usual. The way they all arrived on time (at noon, peak Zuko energy time) was a little freaky. It seemed no amount of time would mess with their sync. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A seemingly endless round of hugs was exchanged, everyone chattering excitedly as they caught up with each other and made plenty of nostalgic jokes that you really had to be there for to understand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aang had arrived first, flying in and bowing with exaggerated politeness to “Sifu Hotman” that only served to send both Zuko and himself into a fit of giggles. Two of the world’s most powerful benders were really still kids. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toph came stomping in next, wondering aloud if Zuko would change her life today. He gave her an affectionate noogie, and asked, “Haven’t I already?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shoved him, “Don’t go thinking you’re Iroh.” She was happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka would’ve been next had he not been intercepted by Suki. They had their own little reunion on the docks before joining the group. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So that left Katara to skip up to the palace, leaving her brother behind. Mai could’ve sworn Katara was an airbender when she all but flew through the air when she launched herself at Zuko, arms outstretched for an embrace. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Zuko caught her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He captured her in a tight hug and spun her around, looking like they hopped straight out of an Ember Island Players romance.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>When her feet met the ground again, the waterbender seemed to grow embarrassed as she quickly turned away from Zuko to greet her other friends. Zuko seemed to reach for her again, but dropped his hands and squeezed them into fists. The smile on his face was just a bit less dazzling than it had been a moment before, even when Sokka came barreling through the scene with a witty comment.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai tilted her head, surveying the situation. To Sokka, he was a fellow swordsman; to Aang, he was a firebending master; to Toph, he was the sibling she never had; he was their friend. To everyone — Suki, Ty Lee, Momo, Appa — he was a friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But who was he to Katara? The question grated on her nerves. It was too loud. She left to check on Azula. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe she was reading into it too much. It wasn’t like Katara had no options: Aang’s feelings for her were obvious. She watched closely to determine if those feelings were reciprocated. Maybe time and distance had changed things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara had suggested going into town to explore the marketplace and Aang jumped up to join her. But then Zuko started droning on and on about the economy and instead of being bored to death like any normal person, she started offering her own suggestions for improving revenue streams and diversifying product offerings. Yawn. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Aang trailed after then, looking forlorn. Katara had </span><em><span>the</span></em> <em><span>Avatar </span></em><span>hanging on her every word, yet she chose to pay attention to Zuko, her former enemy. That was really something. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Zuko, he was listening to her more intently than he ever listened to his aging advisors. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai stayed back. She wasn’t interested in inserting herself. Time and distance only seemed to make Zuko more sure of his feelings, even if he didn’t realize it yet. She would need to reevaluate the situation herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai never felt left out as a nonbender. She had seen the way fire had destroyed her own nation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she had always wished they could spar together. It wasn’t about meeting halfway, she could have easily requested that he use his swords to level the playing field. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But his identity would always be tied to that of a firebender. He was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fire Lord, </span>
  </em>
  <span>for one thing. He could put down the swords whenever he wanted, but the fire would always be inside him, licking at his insides, smoking its way out in every exhale.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fire and water were opposites, but they worked together surprisingly well. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Balance, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought as she lazily twirled a dagger in her hands while watching Zuko and Katara’s sparring session.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve improved,” he praised her, clearly impressed. Zuko wore his heart on his sleeve, something he apparently thought Mai should try. Her face pinched in for a split second when Katara’s shining eyes met his. For a waterbender, Katara’s eyes had so much </span>
  <em>
    <span>warmth. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Like the changing tide, they held a special sort of softness when she looked at Zuko. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have too. But what else would I expect? You’re the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fire Lord </span>
  </em>
  <span>now,” she teased. Fighting alongside Zuko had always felt natural, but it was a joy to be able to practice against him now that they weren’t sworn enemies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A Fire Lord who will get rusty if he has to do anymore paperwork,” he grumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well come on. I’m sure paperwork can wait for a little while longer. Can you show me that new move you did at the end?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai remembered Zuko promising the other benders that they’d get a chance to spar with him too, but that seemed to slip his mind. He eagerly started showing her the forms. Katara picked it up quickly: it was clearly a fusion of water and firebending styles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An understanding started developing at the back of her mind: there were things Zuko and Katara had that Zuko and herself could not have. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The session only ended when Azula came waltzing in, asking if anyone was up for a little fun. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Breakfast the next day was held outside to take advantage of the favorable weather. The pleasant breeze coupled with sunshine put everyone in a merry mood. Instead of Zuko sitting at the head of the table in his fancy throne-like chair like he would inside, everyone squished together on two long benches at one table. Mai sat to Zuko’s immediate left, at the edge of the table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>People like Aang, Sokka, and Toph were driven by hunger and started digging in quickly. Suki had clearly taken a moment to actually get ready because when she took her place next to Sokka, her hair was neater than almost everyone else’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara came in last, yawning and rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. Zuko brightened when he saw her, “Katara! I saved you a seat.” He scooted closer to Mai, brushing her side with his, but only so he could make room for Katara. Mai sighed. Why was he so clueless sometimes?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as Katara was settled next to him, Zuko poured her a steaming cup of tea. She gave him a sweet smile in thanks. He pushed a plate towards her, “Here, this one shouldn’t have any fire flakes.” She dug in eagerly, nudging his shoulder with hers in silent happiness while she chewed. Zuko’s body jostled up against Mai’s as a result of being nudged, but he had never felt so far away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyone else want some tea?” he asked the table. Of course everyone wanted a sip of Iroh’s delicious breakfast brew, so they all said yes. But instead of serving everyone the way he had served Katara only a moment ago, Zuko just passed the teapot across the table so everyone could pour their own cup.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clueless, truly clueless. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guess what my silly brother told me when I arrived yesterday? He said, ‘Be nice.’ Ha! As if I would ever imagine being anything but,” Azula cackled. He had pulled her aside when he noticed the way everyone (or really, Katara) hesitated around her. Her unpredictable energy still put everyone on edge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can hardly believe little ZuZu is the great big Fire Lord now,” she continued. The original trio — Azula, Mai, Ty Lee — were strolling around the city. There wasn’t much to do at the palace until dinner time seeing as Zuko was tied up with his daily meetings. Bureaucracy didn’t stop, even for visitors. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know right. Things are so different now.” She knew what Azula left unsaid: Zuko was Fire Lord and she wasn’t. Mai still wasn’t sure exactly how to go about tending to Azula’s feelings. She was still her friend, but everything had changed so much, there was a much needed distance between them. No matter how bored she was, she would never follow the princess’s every whim again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been told to work on being happy for others. Even if they have what I want, even if I can’t get it. He’s still a dumb dumb, but you know. I’m working on it.” Azula examined her nails as if the conversation was completely casual, but her words held great significance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It would take time, but maybe she could work up to being happy for </span>
  <em>
    <span>them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>She waited a day, mulling it over on her own. But she didn’t wait until everyone else went home to end it. Really, why bother? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? Why would you leave? Does this mean we’re breaking up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes. The pain and confusion written all over his face were making this difficult. “Yes. I’m not the one for you and you’re not the one for me. There’s no reason for me to stay here anymore.” She wasn’t sure where she’d go, but it might be nice to see the world when she wasn’t on a manhunt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spluttered, “But if it’s not us, then who is it?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She waved her hand vaguely, “You’ll figure it out.” Even if he wasn’t in love with her the way he was with Katara, he was still emotionally attached. Since he had yet to confront his own feelings, she realized this break up came as quite the shock. But he’d get over it. There was someone who would help him. She was almost positive that he’d go running into her arms momentarily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai was truthful when she told Azula she loved Zuko more than she feared her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko had done a lot of growing up, had gotten so much stronger; she was proud of him for it. But Mai had to come to terms with the fact that Zuko still feared Azula because of her capacity to hurt Katara. He still feared Azula because he loved Katara. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara was so precious to him, he would put his life on the line to save her — he already had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That pained Mai to think about, it cut her to the core, it stung so, so badly to be the second choice. But there was nothing she could do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How could she compete? The difficulties of a Water Tribe girl being with a Fire Nation boy obviously didn’t matter. They would make it work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Conceding defeat to someone like Katara should not be so hard. Bowing out was the graceful thing to do. She wasn’t the type to make a dramatic scene anyway.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But when she finally walked away, she dug her fingernails deep into her own palms despite it all. Loving Zuko was not so easy to let go of. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>She returned months later with a slew of Kyoshi Warriors to celebrate Zuko’s birthday and found that Katara had never left. She squeezed Ty Lee’s hand to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>I told you so. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl in pink gazed up at her in wonder, “You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>good at predicting!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai muttered, “Not that hard when it’s right in front of you.” They were clearly not shy with the displays of affection now that they were officially a couple. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee sighed in contentment when they walked into the palace, “The auras in here are so much happier than they were a few years ago, it feels great!” She turned to poke her girlfriend’s side, “Yours too.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me blush,” she murmured. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s why you like wearing the Kyoshi Warrior makeup, huh? But I know, I always know.” Her tone was light, but it was true. Out of everyone, it was Ty Lee who knew her best, who always stood by her. It was Ty Lee who dealt with her dreariness after breaking up with Zuko, and it was Ty Lee who gave her time and space when she hesitated to step into a new relationship. And Ty Lee was the one who made it worthwhile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling though?” Ty Lee regarded the other girl carefully. Zuko had been part of her life for so long, it was no simple feat to move on from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The usual, I’m fine.” Her emotions had always been low key and thankfully, no jealous beast reared its ugly head upon seeing Zuko and Katara together. Really, she was fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee nodded in satisfaction. She tilted her head thoughtfully, “They look happy, too. I’m happy for them!” Ty Lee might’ve felt it more acutely, but Mai agreed. It was a good feeling, light and sweet and satisfactory. She hoped Azula could feel even a fraction of this relief in her own life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had taken a while for all of them to get to this point, but it was worth it and they were all </span>
  <em>
    <span>good. </span>
  </em>
  <span>If that wasn’t something to celebrate, she didn’t know what was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She finally walked up to him. “Happy birthday, Zuko.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Mai. It’s good to see you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded at him. It really was good to see him so happy. It didn’t hurt anymore. Letting go of each other didn’t necessarily mean that they had lost. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I chose Mai over aang bc I feel like her quiet nature is just more observant and aang is babie. Also I don’t hate Maiko lol I just. Ship zutara :P I don’t really ship aang with anyone, so he’s j chillin, he has his own happy ending everything is fine <br/>Please let me know what you think about this one &gt;_&lt; I have a few other zutara things in my wips, plus of course I need to keep updating my sasusaku arranged marriage story, so some of those will come out eventually. Couldn’t really keep up with zutara week or ss month but its ok!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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